The Nation Newspaper

Category: Education

  • ‘Ineffective education policy implementation worrisome’

    ‘Ineffective education policy implementation worrisome’

    The Federal Government has expressed worry over ineffective implementation of policies in the education sector.

    Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Andrew Adejo, expressed the concern, during the 67th National Council on Education (NCE) meeting held in Ikeja.

    The theme of the NCE meeting is: ”Addressing the Challenges of Policy Implementation: A Panacea for  the Achievement of Education 2030 Agenda.”

    Adejo, who was represented by Mrs. Obianuju Anigbogu, the Director, Educational Planning, Research and Development (EPR&D), Federal Ministry of Education, said there was the need to ensure proper implementation of education policies for a robust sector.

    The theme:  ”Addressing the challenges of policy implementation: A panacea for the achievement of education 2030 agenda”, is apt in view of the fact that our policies are usually well-crafted, but are faced with ineffective implementation’’, he said.

    The permanent secretary said the educational policies faced delay and lack of regular review to reflect national needs and aspirations, lack of consistent monitoring and evaluation to check policy implementation.

    ”When policies that guide a nation are not implemented at the appropriate time, the consequences are backwardness, under development, unemployment for graduates, poverty and insecurity.

    ”However, to tackle the challenges of policy implementation, all hands must be on deck,” Adejo said.

    According to him, over the years, successive governments have been confronted with numerous challenges which majorly centred on paucity of funds for funding education programmes and activities.

    He, however, said both the Federal Government and many state governments had begun to prioritise funding education, as witnessed in the budget estimates, already before the National Assembly and some state governments.

    The permanent secretary hoped other states would also emulate such budgetary example for the good of the nation.

    ”It is not enough to have adequate funds to show positive improvement in our education sector, we must all commit to put in our best to ensure that programmes are delivered appropriately to reach the desired beneficiaries.

    ”To make policies more concrete and valuable, policy implementers; curriculum planners; curriculum developers and policy-makers must imbibe realistic policies that the country’s education makes them less dependent on others for survival by analysing reliable factors that obstruct or accelerate the implementation process. ”Effective monitoring and evaluation of the National Council on Education (NCE) decisions has also been identified as a game-changer in actualising policies, this will not only make our educational system functional but globally competitive,” he said.

    Adejo urged stakeholders to make meaningful contributions that would proffer possible ways of addressing the challenges facing effective policy implementation in the education sector.

    Also speaking, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the NCE was a major stakeholders’ forum designed to brainstorm and collectively articulate ideas, towards improving education service delivery of the country.

    Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, urged educators in the education sector to ensure they turn out graduates that are fit for the labour market.

    ”As we jointly deliberate on critical issues pertaining to the educational development of our children with the intention of proffering lasting solutions to identified problems.

    Read Also: Lasaco Assurance contributes to capacity building in education

    ”I seize this opportunity to remind us all, either as career professionals or elected officials to expand our thoughts and strive to produce self-reliant youths through our educational system.

    ”We must re-engineer and reposition our education policy making and implementation strategy to deliver graduate students who will blend with the labour market demand.

    ”It is in pursuit of this goal, that, we are here gathered as stakeholders to exchange ideas and agree on some proposed reforms,” he said.

    The governor said the theme of the NCE meeting was apt as its gave an avenue to co-create and collaborate towards enhancing quality of teaching and learning.

    He said this would provide more refined educational models and proffering lasting solutions to the challenges of policy formulation in the education sector.

  • ASUP appeals to Fed Govt to reconstitute governing councils of tertiary institutions

    ASUP appeals to Fed Govt to reconstitute governing councils of tertiary institutions

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has asked the Federal Government to reconstitute the Governing Councils of public tertiary institutions, saying the institutions where its members are currently serving are in state of confusion.

    The union accused the government of creating more polytechnics in the country despite what it described as “non-regard” for the institution and HND certificates, adding that if care was not taken, polytechnics would soon go into extinction.

    President of ASUP, Ezeibe Anderson, who stated these at a press briefing in Abuja, called on the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to save the situation before things go out of hands through immediate constitution of governing councils.

    In June, the government dissolved the governing councils of all federal universities following Tinubu’s directive.

    Speaking with reporters, the ASUP urged the government to immediately reconstitute the governing councils.

    He said: “It may interest the public to know that Federal Polytechnics in the country have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June, 2023.

    Read Also: ASUP threatens examination boycott over 11 months’ salary arrears

    “The government’s decision to dissolve the governing councils of all federal polytechnics in the country despite the certainty of tenure of three years guaranteed by the Federal Polytechnics Act (2019 Amendment) has left the institutions in deficit of the required governance structures for their smooth operations.

    “Some of these polytechnics are actually in confused states as processes for the appointment of principal officers have been disrupted, staff appraisal processes cannot be concluded, staff disciplinary processes cannot be concluded and other statutory duties of the governing councils cannot be executed.

    “The longer we stay without governing council, the more compounded all the issues are in the institutions,” the visibly angry union leader told journalists at the briefing that the federal government has demarketed the Polytechnics.”

    Anderson also wondered why there was a continuous dichotomy between the BSc. and HND certificates, insisting that such perpetual dichotomy could lead to extinction of the institutions.

    He said: “Polytechnics in other nations are awarding-degree institutions, it is only in Nigeria polytechnics cannot do that. And we have always said since you don’t need this certification, phase it out instead of establishing more Polytechnics.

    “The Nigerian Polytechnic System remains the only arm of tertiary education in the country operating without a dedicated commission.

    “Polytechnics in Nigeria remain in the irregular mix of other sub tertiary level education institutions totaling over six hundred with the adverse effect of inadequate regulation for the polytechnics.

    “It is in this light that we welcome the decision of the government to include the establishment of a National Commission for Polytechnics in the Roadmap for the Education Sector 2024 – 2027 in the hope that such shall see the light of the day.”

  • Chrisland School wins maths, debate, other contests

    Chrisland School wins maths, debate, other contests

    Chrisland School has clinched top honours in academic and sporting activities.

    The school won this year’s Mathematics Competition, organised by the Association of International School Educators of Nigeria (AISEN) on September 30 at Avi-Cenna International School in Lagos.

     Ikoojo Idachaba and Omotayo Oseni of Chrisland took top spot in the Mathematics competition among 13 international schools in the Primary School Key Stage 2 category. Akere Lois and Somkene Somtochukwu were the first runner-up in the Secondary Schools, Key Stage 3 category.

    The school also won  the AISEN National Debate Competition (Regional Level) held at Grange School on November 18, where its pupils took first place in the Key Stage 2 and Stage 4 categories. They also secured the third position in the Key Stage 3 category in a show of academic excellence.

    The topic debated at the Key Stage 2 was : “School uniforms should not be mandatory for students” ; Key Stage 3: “Reality TV is harming society”;  Key Stage 4: “Legal systems should focus more on rehabilitation than punishment.”

    Read Also: Chrisland School principal breaks down in tears

    In another development, the school’s soccer team won  the prestigious 2023 AISEN Soccer trophy at Corona Secondary School, Agbara.

    Managing Director of Chrisland Schools, Mrs. Ibironke Adeyemi, reiterated the school’s commitment to raising well-rounded global leaders who excel academically, demonstrate discipline, and shine in sports. She expressed delight in the school’s achievements and success.

    Early this year, two of its students, Mmesomachukwu Okonkwo and Oluwabukunola Adeyemi, ranked  top in the World honours in Cambridge’s International General Certificate of Secondary Education(IGCSE) English as a Second Language (Speaking Endorsement) and Cambridge International AS Level Law, respectively.

  • Shell empowers 150 Ogun youth with N68m

    Shell empowers 150 Ogun youth with N68m

    Shell Nigeria Gas Limited has spent N68 million to empower 150 youths in Ogun State.

    The youth were drawn from Shell’s seven host communities in Ogun State, namely, Agbara, Ijoko, Ilogbo, Igbesa, Owode, Itoki and Ota.

    Shell Nigeria Gas Managing Director, Ralph Gbobo, said at the closing of the event held under the Shell Energy Enterprise Development in Ota, that the training ensured the graduates had their skills honed, business acumen sharpened to enable them be entrepreneurs.

    Gbobo, who was represented by the SNG’s Assets Manager, Simeon Eze, said their objective was to create greater impact in their host communities. He advised the youth to remain focused to enable them succeed.

    The facilitator of the programme, Precious Adeho, said the training lasted for five days and that the youth were trained in 14 modules of business.

    Read Also: Shell confirms oil spillages from Peremabiri flowstation in Bayelsa

    Adeho, the Managing Director, Embella Engineering Limited, added that the youth received seed money and materials to enable them start their businesses.

    A trainer, Mr. Temi Alade-Mustapha, scored the graduates high on class attendance and attention to details. She said they should say goodbye to job-seeking as that was not the aim of the programme.

    Ogun State Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, who was represented by the Ado Odo Local Government Chairman, Saadat Olatunbosun Animashaun, expressed appreciation to Shell for the gesture. She advised the youth to practise what they had learnt.

    Olota of Ota and paramount ruler of Awori Kingdom, Oba Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, thanked Shell for the gesture and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the cash and materials given to them.

    A beneficiary, Kudirat Morenike Abdullatif, a fashion designer from Ota, described her experience as “overwhelming”. She equally thanked Shell.

  • KWASU engineers convert petrol vehicles to electric use

    KWASU engineers convert petrol vehicles to electric use

    The Engineering team in the Centre for Sustainable Energy of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has converted a petrol engine bus to an electric-powered one.

    Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Jimoh Shaykh-Luqman, disclosed this on Tuesday during a news conference heralding the 10th and 11th combined convocation ceremony for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.

    He said the achievement came on the heels of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the resultant increase in the price of PMS.

    “With this success, the institution has been placed in the lead of rethinking the environmental culture and developing new paradigms for solving problems and ensuring global environmental sustainability.

     “We consider it a major achievement, not just for our Green Initiative, but for our determination to add value to the economy of the state and the populace.

     “This initiative ensures higher efficiency in powering automobiles, helps our environment to be less polluted and has attracted partnerships with the Kwara State Government and private institutions,” Prof. Shaykh-Luqman said.

    Read Also: Our admission regularisation pains, by KWASU graduates

    He said that three vehicles, namely Sedan, Hilux and 22-seater Coaster bus, had been converted to use electricity, adding that investors had started to show interest in the product. He called on the state government and individuals who had scrap vehicles to bring them for conversion at moderate charges.

    The KWASU vice chancellor also said the institution had commissioned a plastic recycling plant of the Centre for Entrepreneurship. ”With the initiative, tons of plastic wastes that would have polluted our environment, are currently being converted to pavement stones,” the acting vice chancellor said.

    He said 16,315 graduates were produced by the institution in its 10th and 11th combined convocation ceremony for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.

    The vice chancellor said 183 graduates bagged First Class, 5,145 were in Second Class Upper division, 8,420 got Second Class Lower division and a total of 1,455 were in Third Class division in both sets.

    He also said 11,096 graduates were in first degrees and 767 in higher degrees for the 2021/2022 academic session as well as 4,107 in first degrees and 345 in higher degrees for the 2022/2023 academic session.

    Prof. Shaykh-Luqman, however, called on Kwara Government to renovate the access road to the university from Shao to Malete and the existing intra-campus road network.

    He called for the composition of a land review committee to look into the threat by encroaching communities and individuals. ”The committee will review the status of the land mass ceded to the university at inception and enforce appropriate government policy and sanctions from all forms of encroachment,” he said.

  • UNIJOS will retrieve your certificates if found wanting in character, says VC

    UNIJOS will retrieve your certificates if found wanting in character, says VC

    The University of Jos (UNIJOS) has warned that it will not hesitate to withdraw the certificates of the university students if found wanting in character, even when such certificates have already been issued.

    Its vice-chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, insisted that such drastic measure would be taken to maintain the global reputation and high standard the university has been known for over the years.

    Prof. Ishaya disclosed this during the matriculation and oath-taking ceremony for fresh undergraduate students admitted into the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 merged academic session held at the university’s multipurpose auditorium, Bauchi Road Campus.

    According to the vice-chancellor, the institution has trained many Nigerians and citizens from other countries, who are making positive contributions for the benefit of humanity globally and, therefore, cannot allow any of its students or alumni bring the university’s name to disrepute through deviant behaviour.

    According to him, graduands from the university are awarded their certificates after they are found worthy in character and learning.

    Tanko revealed that out of 57,333 applicants, who sought for admission into the university, 8,469 scaled through the processes and were admitted, adding that the selection process cut across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT, including three foreign students.

    He said although the number of applicants was overwhelming due to the merger of two sets of candidates, the selection process was very transparent, which led to the admission of the 8,469 students. He urged the students to be serious with their studies and shun cultism, secret societies and other social vices that could terminate their academic career.

    Read Also: JUTH, UNIJOS to begin kidney transplant centre, says CMD

    Tanko encouraged the students to rather join the various approved campus associations and participate in sports activities.

    He added that the university has decided to introduce a scholarship scheme for indigent students.

    According to him, full scholarships will also be awarded to students who participate and win Gold Medals in the forthcoming Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA) competition which will be hosted by the university next year.

    Ishaya assured that the university has put in place all necessities to make their studies and stay on campus memorable.

    Acknowledging the importance of social media, he cautioned the students to avoid negative publications on the social media, stressing that the university has laid down channels of communication which students must follow to put their messages across, even when they want to air their grievances.

    Ishaya informed them that the university’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Directorate has deployed technology for registration processes, urging students to beware of scammers, who claim to be helping them to register but are only interested in defrauding them.

  • Varsity signs MoU with Cisco, others to drive digital skills

    Varsity signs MoU with Cisco, others to drive digital skills

    The Cosmopolitan University, Abuja has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four international organisations to drive digital skills and entrepreneurial spirit among students.

    The four organisations are; Cisco, a multinational technology company and Global Wissen Consult which specialises in Digital Entrepreneurship programmes.

    Others are Confucius Institute for Mandarin to offer students the opportunity to learn Mandarin and foster cross-cultural understanding and Across Atlantic Development (AAD), a company dedicated to building a just and sustainable world by embarking on global projects and proffering solutions to business challenges.

    Signing the MoU in Abuja  last week,, Vice – Chancellor of the University Prof. Carl Adams, said the partnerships are intended to prioritise experiential learning, equipping its students with the skills and mindset to navigate an ever-evolving landscape.

    Cosmopolitan university was one of the 37 newly approved private universities by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023.

    The Vice Chancellor said: “By collaborating with industry partners, we ensure our graduates are not just academically proficient but are also ready to make immediate contributions in their chosen fields.

    Read Also: Varsity sign MoU with four firms to drive digital skills

    “Our commitment to strategy and collaboration is ultimately a commitment to empowering the individuals who walk through our corridors every day. Education is not merely a transfer of knowledge; it is the catalyst for personal and societal transformation.”

    According to him, the collaborations it embarks on are cross-disciplinary and designed to break down intellectual silos in order to encourage a cross-pollination of ideas.

    “These companies are industry leaders and institutions dedicated to building environments and opportunities where innovation thrives.

    “In this era of innovation and change, we want our Cosmopolitan students to be perfectly positioned to make waves and spread their wings.

    “The goal is to propel them beyond the academic demands of their respective courses, providing them with the resources and opportunities to become global superstars,” he added.

  • Stakeholders advise Fed Govt onoperation of UBE Act in conflict zones

    Stakeholders advise Fed Govt onoperation of UBE Act in conflict zones

    Stakeholders in the education sector have tasked the Federal Government on the implementation of the 2004 Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act and other educational policies in conflict and protracted crisis zones with the aim to identify the proper meaning of free-education.

    The stakeholders made the demand at a workshop on the implementation of the UBE Act and other educational policies in conflict and protracted crisis zones organised by a non-governmental organisation, Common Heritage Foundation in Abuja.

    Participants at the workshop looked at how access, quality, and continuity of education can be assured in conflict and protracted crisis settings.

    The Senior Special Educationist with the World Bank, Prof. Tunde Adekola said the initiative was timely especially when talking about education, specifically in crisis areas.

    He called for a multi-sectoral approach to address the challenges facing education in conflict zones.

    Adekola said: “And you need the service providers like the state and non-state actors to be able to participate. The non-state actors we are talking about are the community, civil society organisation, private sector, philanthropist, etc. Everybody needs to work together with several other government MDAs, to improve access and universal basic education.

    “Part of the challenges are systemic, we should see how we can involve more partnerships, collaboration and cooperation from all the state actors to be able to focus on the issue of access, quality, equity and so on.

    “The second one is the issue of quality, relevance, not about more money for education, teachers training but about more results, in the learning aspect like how many children can read and write before they get to age nine, how are we reducing the pupil teacher and pupil classroom ratio and so on.

    “We need to set targets and set strategic plans with measurable indicators to be able to know how much that we are making. And then, be able to mobilise more resources from the state to be able to increase their funding to basic education and to be able to see how they can hold people accountable for their actions.”

    Also, an Associate Prof of Law in Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Dr. Halima Doma, said the workshop brought together stakeholders to hear from group of researchers that have worked in the area of education, i.e. Universal Basic Education in Northeast, access to it and to what extent it has been implemented particularly in Adamawa State.

    Read Also: UBEC digitalises quality assurance evaluation in schools

    Doma, who was the Chairman of the occasion, said Adamawa State was specifically researched on because of the recent attacks on education it has faced.

    The Regional Research Director for International Rescue Committee (IRC) in charge of the project, Prof. Oladele Akogun, said the answer needed now was how the law was being implemented to make sure that people continued to have access to free education and that education was continuing even where there’s conflict and that the quality of education doesn’t change.

    The Programme Manager, Common Heritage Foundation Dr. Adedoyin Adeshina, said that the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC) project was set out to answer just one question of: “How we can improve access, quality and continuity of education in conflict and crisis setting.”

  • FEC exempts varsities, polytechnics, others from IPPIS

    FEC exempts varsities, polytechnics, others from IPPIS

    • ’No more approval for recruitment from Head of Service’
    • ASUU lauds Tinubu for the decision

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the exemption of tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education, from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Systems (IPPS).

    Minister of Education Prof. Mamman Tahir, who disclosed this to correspondents after the week’s FEC meeting, also said council relieved managements of tertiary institutions of the burden of obtaining approval and waiver from the Office of the Head of Service for recruitment.

    According to the minister, the exemption of tertiary institutions from the IPPIS platform and from seeking Head of Civil Service’s authority for recruitment would allow the institutions to deal with salary issues of their staff as well as recruitment internally.

    He said FEC took the decision to remove the institutions from the IPPIS system because of its concern for efficiency and the management of the institutions.

    According to him, apart from the opposition to the payment system by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the IPPS issue had proved time consuming for university vice chancellors.

    The minister explained that as the tertiary institutions are governed by laws, they should be allowed to exercise their autonomy.

    “It was a very happy day for the education sector because one of the problems which the vice chancellors, rectors and provosts of colleges of education, those managing the tertiary sector in Nigeria, have been complaining about has been the subscription to the IPPIS

    “You know what IPPIS does, which has made recruitment and many other activities of the university remitting to personnel very difficult. Now today’s Council decided, the President has directed that vice chancellor should no longer…they have been taken out of that service. So this is a very, very important development for the vice chancellors that will allow for efficient management of the universities and tertiary education generally speaking.

     “Then secondly, which is connected to that, before now when the tertiary institutions want to make an appointment, they have to write to the Office of the Head of Service for waiver or approval or that sort of thing.

     “Today, the Council, through the directive of the President, has exempted them. They don’t have to go to the Office of the Head of Service because it is actually not in their line of supervision.

    The IPPIS had been a bone of contention between university lecturers under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In 2020, ASUU, which went on an eight-month strike due to disputes with the Federal Government regarding the payment platform opened for the University Transparency Account System (UTAS).

    The IPPIS was introduced by the Federal Government in October 2006 as part of its reform initiatives to effectively store personnel records and promote transparency and accountability.

    Read Also: Ex-Ebonyi Deputy Speaker defects to APC

    ASUU has commended President Tinubu for taking off unions from IPPIS.

    ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, while welcoming the news, urged the Federal Government to address outstanding issues that made the union embark on an eight month strike last year.

    Osodeke said the strike would not have lasted till eight months if the previous administration had listened to its members.

    He said: “We must commend this government for taking such a bold step and we urge the government to continue to treat other issues on which we were on strike so that there will be harmony in the system and build a university that can compete anywhere in the world and we will truly be the giant of Africa in terms of education.”

    “What that means in simple language is that the university authorities and other tertiary institutions will now be paying their own personnel from their own end instead of relying on the IPPIS”, he said.

    The education minister also said council approved the construction of Senate Building at University of Nigeria and funds to National Examination Council (NECO).

  • 2024 budget: NESG, others seek increased vote for education

    2024 budget: NESG, others seek increased vote for education

    Stakeholders in education sector have declared that the N2.18 trillion voted for education falls short of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommendation of between 15% and 20% of the expenditure to be spent on education, Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon writes.

    When President Bola Tinubu presented his administration’s first budget to the National Assembly recently, he declared that he is planning to spend N6.75 trillion of its projected N27.5 trillion budget on defence and security, education and infrastructure in 2024.

    But, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, at during the presentation of the 2024 budget breakdown later, he said of the amount, N1.23 trillion is for the Federal Ministry of Education and its agencies, N251.47 billion for the Universal Basic, Education Commission and N700 billion as transfers to tertiary education trust fund.

    The government also earmarked N2.18 trillion for the education sector. This represents 7.9 per cent of the budget proposal. Bagudu stated that N50 billion of the amount would be for the student loan scheme of the Federal Government.

    Lawmakers praise budget

    National Assembly members across the party lines praised the president’s budget. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South), said, “We have a budget of N9.7tn current expenditure and N8.7tn capital expenditure.” Also, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Solomon Adeola, (APC, Ogunjobi West) stated that the budget would benefit the country. Chairman of Senate Committee on Public Account, Aliya Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa South) said: “It is obvious the President’s agenda is a people-oriented budget.”

    Education ministers commend Tinubu over budget

    Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman and the Minister of State for Education Dr. Yusuf Sununu praised President Tinubu over the budget proposal for the education sector, describing the development as a significant improvement over the last couple of years.

    According to the two ministers, this underscores the premium President attaches to the education sector.

    The minister spoke at the start of a two-day retreat for education stakeholders in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. They promised to justify the confidence reposed in them by the President through the faithful implementation of the education roadmap and the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President.

    Prof. Mamman noted that with the Presidency and the National Assembly being on the same page in their resolve to confront the challenges facing the country, this administration is unstoppable.

    Acknowledging the efforts of previous administrations in the development of the education sector, Prof. Mamman noted that a lot still has to be done in the areas of infrastructural development, teacher quality, security of our institutions, as well as access to quality education especially for the vulnerable groups.

     ‘Budget short of UNESCO recommendation’

    However, stakeholders in education and others have declared that the figure falls short of the UNESCO recommendation of between 15% and 20% of the expenditure of developing countries to be spent on education.

    Experts said with a $480.5 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as at 2021, Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and 29th in the world, according to the IMF. But, surprisingly, the country’s rather large economy is running on the back of poor funding of its education sector.

    For instance, the education sector received a total of N771. 5 billion in 2021 out of a total budget size of N13.58 trillion. This was 5.68 percent allocation. In the year 2020, education sector received the sum of N671.07 billion, or 6.7 per cent out of N10. 33 trillion budget while in the year 2019, the sum of N620 billion or 7.05 per cent was allocated to education out of N8.92 trillion budget.

    However, late in 2021, Heads of State and Government and Ministers of Education from more than 40 countries adopted the Paris Declaration: a global appeal initiated by UNESCO and France to increase investment in education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.

    At the height of the pandemic, 1.6 billion children and adolescents were deprived of tuition in the classroom. Among them, 500 million students, mainly in the South, had no access to distance learning. UNESCO quickly rallied by bringing together states, international organisations and businesses within a Global Coalition for Education, which made it possible to ensure educational continuity in 112 countries.

    Despite this unprecedented mobilisation, the situation remains worrying. According to UNESCO’s latest count, schools are still totally or partially closed in 65 countries, affecting 750 million students.

    Since 2015, UNESCO Member States agreed on a level of educational funding of 4 to 6% of GDP or 15 to 20% of public expenditure, but the majority of countries have not yet reached this threshold. Moreover, it appears that low-income countries only allocate 1% of the amount of the post COVID-19 stimulus packages to education, while the richest countries only spend 2.9% of that package on education.

    President Bola Tinubu had promised to reform the tertiary education sector by introducing a sustainable funding model for the sector.

    NESG picks holes in Tinubu’s 2024 budget

    The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, while picking holes in the budget in its sectoral analysis of the budget, faulted the N3.5 trillion allocation to the health and education sectors. The Chairman of NESG, Niyi Yusuf, declared that health and education allocations were lower in the 2024 Appropriation Bill than their respective levels in the 2023 approved budget. He explained that the budget allocation to both sectors was far below the global benchmarks.

    “The allocations to the health and education sectors are far below the global benchmarks of 15 per cent (2001 Abuja Declaration) and 15- 20 per cent (UNESCO standards), respectively,” he said.

    ASUU condemns low education budget, threatens strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities said universities across the country may witness strikes next year due to the budget allotted to the education sector and poor lecturers’ remuneration.

    Its president, Prof. Emmanuel Oshodeke, explained that during the campaign and election earlier this year, President Tinubu promised to increase the education sector to at least 15 per cent or over.

    He submitted that the UNESCO also recommended a 26 per cent benchmark allocation for the education sector for member states. He complained that Nigeria was the country with the least remuneration for professors globally.

    Oshodeke said ASUU was disappointed when the budget was announced to be N2.18tr or 7.9 per cent of the budget. He added that not much progress would be made in the sector; if the budget was not increased. He advised the government to meet with the cabinet members and increase the budget to 15 or more. “With this seven per cent education budget,  nothing will change in the sector, it is just as we had during Buhari’s time. Tinubu, during his campaign, promised to increase the education budget but nothing.

    “However, there is still a chance for him, to change. But if no improvement on this and our other demands, by next year, we will mobilise our people and we can’t stay like this because Oyo State has 15 per cent and Enugu State budgeted 32 per cent for education, but FG is giving less than eight per cent,” the union leader said.

    ASUP demands increase in education allocation

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) asked the Federal Government to increase the budget allocation for education in the appropriation bill.

    Mr. Anderson Ezeibe, the ASUP President, stated this during at a news conference preceding the union’s 17th biennial national delegates conference in Abuja.  He criticised the current 7.9% earmarked for education in the existing budget and highlighted that the proposed bill allocates 7.9% for the education sector.

     “This implies that the country is further away from a solution to the underfunding in the sector. An upward review is imperative to reflect the actual needs of the sector. This will ensure the total withdrawal of the 2021 circular requesting institutions to make remittances of their internally generated funds.”

    “Also, it will ensure the immediate implementation of the approved new wage structure of 35% and 25% for chief lecturers and other categories of staff in the sector with the arrears,” Ezeibe said.

    CSO advises Fed Govt to increase education budget

    Executive Director of the FlexiSAF, Amina Abubakar, also called on the government and the National Assembly to increase the budgetary allocation to the sector and implement its policy of free basic education for all.

    She made the call after embarking on a walk tagged: “Walk for Education 3.0”, to draw attention of critical stakeholders on the need to improve education in the country.

    According to her,  despite the United Nations goal for education,  Nigeria remains one of the country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world,  adding that Nigeria still have more than 10 million children out there who can’t afford education.

    Educationist appeals to govt

    An educationist and former school principal, Sehinde Arogbofa, called on the governments at all levels to adopt the recommendation of the UNESCO on education for the betterment of the sector.

    According to him, the UNESCO recommendation that 26 per cent of the national budget should be spent on education would do the education sector of the country a lot of good.

    Arogbofa spoke at the inauguration of an administrative building and a block of science laboratories at Community Comprehensive High School, Ikaram-Akoko in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State.